How to Help People Affected by the LA Fires

Updated 3 p.m. Thursday

Los Angeles has been devastated by the most destructive wildfire event in the region’s history, with the combined fires claiming at least 25 lives and destroying over 12,300 homes, buildings and landmarks according to CalFire.

It’s also on track to become the most expensive wildfire in U.S. history.

Jump straight to:

• Where to donate to support L.A. fire victims
• Starting a GoFundMe? What to know about FEMA rules
• Resources for L.A. friends and family
• How to spot a fundraising scam

Many Bay Area residents have strong ties to the L.A. area and may be fearing for the safety of their loved ones. If you’re looking to help, local organizations, activists and community members in L.A. are organizing fundraising and mutual efforts, which you can donate to or otherwise support.

Keep reading to find out how you can help those in the L.A. area impacted by wildfire. Bear in mind: The situation in Southern California is still evolving, and this list of resources or organizations asking for assistance is not exhaustive — but we’ll keep updating it as we learn more.

L.A. fire help: I want to send donations to support an organization

If you want to send money — or items like clothes — to the areas affected by the L.A. wildfires, organizations asking for help include:

General support for wildfire assistance and firefighters

• The Los Angeles Fire Department, which has a wildfire emergency fund.
• The California Fire Foundation.
• California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund.
• The Eaton Canyon Fire Relief and Recovery Fund.
• Anti-Recidivism Coalition, to support incarcerated firefighters. (Be sure to write “firefighter fund” in your donation.)

Supporting children and schools 

• The California Department of Education, which is asking for donations through SupplyBank.
• Baby2Baby, which is providing assistance to help with diapers and formulas for young children and families.
• Project Camp, which provides “trauma-informed childcare for displaced families in the aftermath of disasters.”
• Boys & Girls Club of Malibu
• BreastfeedLA

Food banks and meals

• Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, which is also accepting food and non-food items.
• World Central Kitchen
• No Res Gourmet

Community organizing 

• Mask Bloc LA, which provides respirators and masks.
• National Day Laborer Organizing Network, which is specifically fundraising for immigrant workers impacted by the fires.
• Water Drop LA
• KTown for All
• Hollywood Food Coalition
• Direct Relief
• Climber Relief Fund
• Mutual Aid LA has a list of mutual aid organizations in the region.
• Emergency Network Los Angeles
• Latino Community Foundation
• LA-based healthcare apparel company FIGS has support for healthcare workers.

Support for animals

• Pasadena Humane Society

General response organizations

• The American Red Cross
• Salvation Army
• Core Response
• Project HOPE
• Global Empowerment Mission
• Team Rubicon
• Samaritan’s Purse

GoFundMe pages and other individual fundraisers

GoFundMe has a list of verified fundraisers for those impacted by the fires, including one that the website is running itself.

Residents  are also updating spreadsheets and websites like Fireaid.info with links to fundraisers and Venmo accounts, including:

• A mutual aid directory of Latine families displaced by the fires
• A list of fundraisers for Black families
• A crowdsourced list of Hollywood crew members
• Renters that have lost housing.

But it’s worth highlighting: the organizers of these crowdsourced lists has not been able to verify each fundraiser, and officials are warning of potential scams (as well as price gouging) amid the L.A. fires. This all means that it’s important to make sure a fundraiser is legitimate before sending any money.

GoFundMe has a guide on verifying a fundraiser, and the company encourages donors to see if:

• Family and friends are making donations and commenting words of support on the page
• The pages clearly details if intended recipient in control of the withdrawals. If not, is there a clear path for the funds to reach the victims?
• Does it seem like the GoFundMe is copying someone else’s story? (For example, you can check this by looking up the description on Google, and seeing if the exact sentences where used in another fundraiser.)

See below for how to spot other signs of a fundraising scam. And if you’re checking up on an organization’s fundraiser to make sure it’s legitimate, you can use a tool like the Department of Justice’s search portal.

What to know when setting up a GoFundMe

If someone you know in Los Angeles is thinking of starting a GoFundMe page for themselves or someone else, there’s something they need to know: If they are seeking financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as well, the agency says it “cannot duplicate benefits you receive from another source.”

What this means: FEMA assistance — which is not dependent on household income — can help disaster survivors with a wide range of needs, from rental assistance to childcare to accessibility requirements. (KQED has a 2020 guide on how fire survivors can apply for FEMA aid.)

But according to FEMA’s rules, if a person’s GoFundMe details that they’ll be using any money raised for “a specific disaster-related expense” – which the agency defines as including home repairs, funeral expenses or other emergency needs – they cannot receive funds from FEMA for the same specific purpose.

Read our full guide to balancing FEMA’s rules with a GoFundMe effort.

L.A. fire help: I am trying to find someone in the L.A. area who I’m worried about

If you are unable to get a hold of someone who lives in the region after multiple attempts, cities will often suggest you call their non-emergency hotline. For example, Pasadena’s line is 626-744-4241.

LA County also recommends that if you’re looking for someone, or want to let your family know you’re safe, you can contact the Red Cross at (800) 675-5799.

L.A. fire help: I want to support friends and family in the area 

Take a look at KQED’s guide to many relevant wildfire resources, which you can send to loved ones in the Los Angeles region – using our past experiences in Northern California as an example. These links have key details for people actively living through a wildfire disaster, including what to pack in an emergency go-bag and how an evacuation order works. Make sure the ones you love are truly ready and prepared to evacuate.

Tell your L.A. networks to download the free Watch Duty app, which provides alerts around evacuation notices. They should also sign up for their county’s own emergency alert systems, by finding their region in LAist’s list.

Here are some L.A.-specific resources you can forward to loved ones in the area.

• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance for Southern California residents
• L.A. County’s list of evacuation shelters.
• 211 LA’s resource page.
• Airbnb is providing temporary shelter for those impacted by the fires.
• Mutual Aid LA’s updating spreadsheet of resources.
• A crowdsourced list by L.A. resident and journalist Nicholas Slayton.
• A crowdsourced list by a local climbing club to connect people to fire victims who need supplies like sleeping bags.
• California Environmental Voters has a list of evacuation centers.
• Rep. Judy Chu’s resource list for those impacted by the Eaton Fire.
• The Disability and Disaster Hotline: 800-626-4959.
• Los Angeles Unified Schools is providing mental health support for students and their families at 213-241-3840. Employees can access support at 800-882-1341.
• Free mental health services being offered around L.A.

Should the worst happen, the L.A. Times also has a step-by-step guide on what to do after losing your home or business in a fire. KQED also a guide to coping in the aftermath of a wildfire from a survivor of the 2017 Tubbs Fire.

What are some signs of a fundraising scam?

Sadly, it is common to see scams pop up during times of distress.

Addressing anyone who intended to use the L.A. fires as an opportunity to steal, LA District Attorney Nathan Hochman said that “if you want to engage in these internet scams where you’re going to take advantage of people who are going to be seeking insurance and government benefits, you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted and you will be punished to the full extent of the law.”

During the wildfires that devastated Maui in 2023, Hawai’i Attorney General Anne Lopez cautioned people to be careful who they send their donations to. “In moments of crisis, we all must be extra vigilant against bad actors who try to take advantage of people’s goodwill,” she warned.

You can look up to see if a charity is valid through the California Attorney General website.

Mutual aid funds independent of official organizations are also common during times of crisis — and sometimes even preferred by those impacted so they can directly receive the money. Families may also set up their own fundraising through websites like GoFundMe. Remember that GoFundMe has a list of verified fundraisers for those impacted by the fires, including one that the website is running itself.

If you would want to give online, in 2023, the Hawai’i Attorney General highlighted what the office considered to be suspicious behavior they’d seen around Maui fundraising, including:

• Pressuring or hurrying you to make a donation.
• Asking for a donation through cash or a gift card.
• Using a name that sounds like the name of a real charity.
• Making “lots of vague and sentimental claims but give no specifics about how your donation will be used.”

What should I tell people in L.A. about wildfire smoke?

KQED has a guide on protecting yourself from harms posed by wildfire smoke, as there are some measures people can take to help protect their lungs from smoke pollution. Children are especially sensitive to smoke pollution, as they breathe in more air per body pound than adults.

Tips in the guide include washing your nose out and gargling with clean water five times a day until the smoke subsides. Cloth masks — like the one you likely wore to prevent getting COVID-19 in the early years of the pandemic — will not protect your lungs from the particles found in wildfire smoke.

You can monitor air quality on sites like this map from L.A. County or use KQED’s air quality map by zooming out from the Bay Area and into the L.A. region.